[gLer]

Here I've put one of the files in Onedrive. Thanks for the assist.

Ok, downloaded it and there's definitely something funny going on with this file. I first tried duplicating and re-encoding it with my usual Flac encoder on Mac, and it wouldn't read the file at all. Managed to reencode it into another Flac file (same parameters) using XLD. No surprise that only the XLR-encoded file played back fine on the R8, and your original file didn't. Must be something strange in the way it was encoded. I'd put it down to non-standard Flac formatting that UAPP has issues with. Reencode the album and it'll play fine on UAPP.

 

[hAbIrAbI]

Interesting since I bought it as it is from HDTracks. I think I only adjusted the meda data and added some Replaygain information.

Edit: And the file is working in Neutron and the Hiby player.

 

[gLer]

Interesting since I bought it as it is from HDTracks. I think I only adjusted the meda data and added some Replaygain information.

Edit: And the file is working in Neutron and the Hiby player.

Yeah must be something in the metadata tweaks that breaks in on UAPP. Maybe Neutron and HiBy skip over the metadata UAPP is trying to read. Not quite sure. But I confirmed it plays fine one UAPP when I reencode it using XLD. First time I've seen metadata kill a flac files but you never know with these things.

 

[bgpolyhistor]

Would you experienced DAP users consider A&K better in any way then the Chinese “flagships“? (I mean other than looks of the HW or UI)

And why is non-Android / partial Android better? We are moving more an more into Streaming music (I for one do nothing else anymore). With a current Android version you can rest assured that a DAP will last for a couple years considering streaming options. AFAIK e.g. Tidal and others support all down to Android 7 now. So a full Android DAP with version 9 like the R8 should be good to go for a long time now. Well at least 2-3 years.

I think once you cross a certain threshold with hardware you are paying for two things: your (hopefully) preferred tuning, and product support. I don’t think my $1000 Astell & Kern sounds $800 better than the first Fiio I ever bought. Does it sound better? Maybe. But I don’t see as much variation in sound quality between portable players as I do between headphones/IEM’s. In fact, any differences in sound that I’ve noticed between the 7 DAP’s I’ve owned were marginal at best- and they ranged from the $200 Fiio x1 to the $1200 Opus #2. This makes sense to me. When a new and improved DAC chipset is marketed, the implied improvement is in faithful replication of the original recording. The implementation of each DAC affects the final sound, so you could for example have a player using ESS that sounds warm and a player using AKM that sounds cold and analytical, or vice versa. At the end of the day, DAC's and their implementations can only have so much tuning influence before they would be criticized for not remaining faithful to the recording. I imagine these manufacturer's are walking a relatively fine line when they decide how they want their products to sound. I am not suggesting that DAP's don't sound different from one another, I'm suggesting that beyond a certain price point they can only sound so different- and often deciding which ones sound "better" comes down to personal preference, even within that limited range of sound that consumers consider acceptable.

My point is Chinese DAP’s sound fine and are a great starting point in the hobby, but I’ve gotten some garbage (and occasionally non existent) customer support from companies like Fiio. I think Astell & Kern produces pretty functional and stable software and decent ongoing updates. Their website is nicer and doesn’t have issues translating to English. The hardware feels better made in some instances. The batteries hold a charge longer. If you email customer support, someone actually responds. If you send a product in to them it doesn’t get stuck in customs for months, only for Fiio to send you a refurbished unit with the same battery problems as the one you sent in lol. And while I’m singing Astell & Kern’s praises, they are based in Korea. I don’t even know of any DAP’s made by American companies or produced in the US, so really Country of origin doesn’t seem to be a predictor of quality when it comes to DAP’s.

You might listen to a flagship A&K player and not appreciate the tuning, you know? DAP’s have gotten complex enough that I feel like there isn’t one player to rule them all. Between battery life, UI, sound quality, streaming platforms, etc. you just have to find one with the features you like and see if you also appreciate how it sounds. Just keep in mind some Chinese companies simply don’t prioritize support for American customers. I had a problem with my Opus #2 and reached out to The Bit (Korean) and never received a response. No web chat, no way to call them. I was just out of luck so I had to return it to Drop. 2 years later and they haven’t emailed me back.

so far, the best DAP I’ve had was the Astell & Kern Kann- I just don’t consider the sound quality to really be what sets it apart, and while this is the most important aspect in my mind when I'm looking to upgrade my player, the truth is sound preference is largely subjective, and there are many other factors (battery life, amp power, UI, customer support) to consider at this point when purchasing a DAP.

It's a helluva time to love good music.

 

[ScubaDrunk]

Just out of interest how does the R8 compare to the R6 Pro SS edition?

Is there a big jump in sound quality between the 2?

 

[gLer]

Just out of interest how does the R8 compare to the R6 Pro SS edition?

Is there a big jump in sound quality between the 2?

Having upgraded from the R6 Pro SS which I owned for a year, I would describe the R8 as a step up in sound quality, but slightly different in tonality. It has a wider stage, less background noise, better instrument separation and is overall more refined than the fuller, slightly warmer and more forecful sound of the R6 Pro. It's also more transparent, so let's the sound of your IEMs come through more clearly than a warmer dap would.

Where the R8 is a real step up is processing power, battery life, screen size and quality, and power output. The R6 Pro SS is gorgeous though, so not taking anything away design-wise. Keep in mind the R8 is almost twice as heavy as the already heavy R6 Pro. I like that personally but some night not.

@twister6 has a good review of the R8 on twister6.com along with an R6 Pro comparison.

 

[mwhals]

Listened to The Cars Greatest Hits on the Hiby R8 with the EE Phantom. Great sound! Phantom really shines on the R8.

 

[Vitaly2017]

Listened to The Cars Greatest Hits on the Hiby R8 with the EE Phantom. Great sound! Phantom really shines on the R8.

Good synergie phantoms are thick amd warm, hiby is perfect here

 

[jmills8]

Listened to The Cars Greatest Hits on the Hiby R8 with the EE Phantom. Great sound! Phantom really shines on the R8.

The Cars sounds great on every dap , cause they that good.

 

[mwhals]

The Cars sounds great on every dap , cause they that good.

True!

 

[DarginMahkum]

It has been a while since I wrote here. Not much changed. My R8 was mostly not being used as I was using my desktop amp. Because of that I was even planning to get a simple portable DAC amp for when I am not at my desk, and letting the R8 go. Now that I have given it longer time yesterday and today, I guess that wasn't a very good decision.

I forgot how good the bass performance is. Not a desktop punch but not too far. The treble is also very good for my warm Solitaire P. Try this with full headphones, wow!

 

[Newsee]

It has been a while since I wrote here. Not much changed. My R8 was mostly not being used as I was using my desktop amp. Because of that I was even planning to get a simple portable DAC amp for when I am not at my desk, and letting the R8 go. Now that I have given it longer time yesterday and today, I guess that wasn't a very good decision.

I forgot how good the bass performance is. Not a desktop punch but not too far. The treble is also very good for my warm Solitaire P. Try this with full headphones, wow!

Thank you Hiby for developing this wonderful unit. Special thanks to @DarginMahkum and @Musicalhead for convincing me about the right choice, and @MusicTeck for delivering it with a Dignis case.

I like what I see and what I hear out of the box.
Snappy, responsive like any recent decent Android phone. Sound is very promising, more impressions later.

 

[alsorkin]

Agreed. It is unfortunate that LG makes a mediocre cellphone experience because they are the true audiophile phone. I was disappointed to see the industry go the other direction and eliminate hp jacks and top-end DACs. This just proves that DAPs are a niche.

My Samsung Note 20 Ultra sounds fine with wired IEM's, but not to the level of the R8.

Today I tried my Note 20Ultra with a new DAC (Beam 2) and my Monarch IEM. WOW it was surprisingly good using the Beam 2's 2.5mm balanced port.

 

[Vitaly2017]

Today I tried my Note 20Ultra with a new DAC (Beam 2) and my Monarch IEM. WOW it was surprisingly good using the Beam 2's 2.5mm balanced port.

Have you tried a true dap sound experience? Youd be even more wowed

 

[alsorkin]

Have you tried a true dap sound experience? Youd be even more wowed

Yes I have the A&K Kern Alpha and Sony 507 Which both have more WOW I was just surprised at the capabilities of the smartphone with DAC.